January is almost gone… already?!

Happy new year everyone! It seems like time is flying by fast. I hope everyone’s start to 2011 is going well. As for me, I can’t complain. Winter Quarter at CSUEB was off to a quick start. I loaded up with 20 units and just applied for graduation, so hopefully from here on out it’ll be smooth sailing. One more quarter left, finally!

One of my resolutions for this year is that I need to post more! Whether its blog posts or Flickr posts, I just need to share my work with everyone. I’m seriously backed up on images that I need to start uploading a little at a time. Fall quarter at school really held me back. I was slammed with work. On top of that, being a part of the Pioneer Newspaper has taken up much of my time. Of course, that’s not to say that I didn’t love every minute of it. The Pioneer has been an awesome opportunity for me. The staff and Dr. Terrell have been great. We’ve had a lot of good times with only more to come.

My last assignment was the Mistah FAB and Lil B concert on campus last Friday night. “Swag! Swag! Swag!” is what I heard half the time I was there. Honestly, I thought the turnout was alright considering the space allowed. It was in the new union multi-purpose room. When I first walked in the room, it was DARK. The only lights were random colored bulbs on a black cloth draped behind the stage:

But as soon as the hosts and performers got up on stage, mini spotlights came on which made it a little easier for me to take pictures. Thanks to Mr. John Sthol for hooking me up with a VIP wristband, I was able to get a lot closer to the stage. I’ve got to give it up to Mista FAB, he really made the show. Most of the time he was up there I was just bobbin’ my head to his music instead of taking pictures. All in all, the night was cool. I was there with Stephanie, Campus Editor for the Pioneer, because she was writing a story for the event. Here’s some pics from the night:

Alright, I’ve got to stay motivated and keep the pictures coming. Next time I’ll talk about a photo book I made about Lake Chabot. It’s sort of a mix of documentary/landscape, but basically it’s just cool pictures. There’s something about the book I can’t say here, but if you want to know just ask. Here’s the cover:

My blog is still going through some changes so bear with me for now. But keep coming back to check out what’s new! Habashwee

The Black Seeds

The Black Seeds… what an awesome live band! Probably one of the best live shows I’ve seen. Their sound is so smooth, their style is unique. From dub to reggae to funk and soul, it’s absoluteley hard to not bob your head and groove to their music.

The Black Seeds are an 8-piece band that originated in Wellington, New Zealand. I highly suggest that you give them a listen. I promise, you won’t be dissapointed! Here’s a few pics from their concert in SF at Slim’s (taken with my trusty s90) :

You can check out the rest in my Flickr Set.

Aubrey London Pin-up

Aubrey London is an up and coming pin-up model. She’s one of my good friend’s sister-in-law. Austin, Will and I used Abbey’s backyard as our backdrop. The shoot overall was cool. It was really cold that night too so I felt kind of bad for her because she was dressed in skimpy clothing. You can check out her blog here. But it was still fun. Here’s a few images from that night:

Sports Day… aka Sloshball!

SLOSHBALL!!! At least that’s what we intended to play this day. If you don’t know, sloshball is a game that involves drinking and playing softball. But I guess that the real way is that you’re supposed to play kickball. But oh well. All we wanted to do was have a fun day in the sun with all our friends and being active. I’d like to call this day our sports day, and hopefully we can do it again before it gets too cold outside.

We played sloshball (softball/beer), football, dodgeball, frisbee catch, and the highlight of the night, BEER PONG! It was all fun. Thanks to Trixi and Brian for letting us use their house and enourmous backyard! Good times

The rest of the pictures you can find here in my Flickr set.

Devin Grigg Going to the Majors

David Grigg is an up and coming baseball sensation straight out of Cal State University, East Bay. He just graduated this past Spring and elected to go into the Major League Baseball draft. He was the 525th pick from the Minnesota Twins which was much earlier than he had expected. In his senior year he was a second-team All-CCAA selection for his work on the field. He’s was drafted as a relief picther but his talents allow him to play multiple positions in the diamond. This was a last minute shoot for the Pioneer Newspaper because another photographer couldn’t make it. He’s real chill dude and a cool guy to talk to. Best of luck to him in the MLB, maybe one day he’ll get traded back to the bay? Who knows.

You can see some more images of Devin on my Flickr set.

Oscar Grant Rally… or Riot

The Oscar Grant Trial. The verdict? Johannes Mehserle, the BART police officer in question, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter, the lowest of the three sentences that were presented to him. This sparked an outrage to Oscar Grant supports, specifically in Oakland, CA. Immediately after the verdict was announced, there was a small rally on the corner of 14th and Broadway. A stage was set up with speakers and microphone for people to voice their opinions on. There was a mini-concert on Clay Street hosted by The star of Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper, Mark Curry. But as the sun started to go down, this small rally turned into a huge riot. Although some say that the riot wasn’t as bad as they thought, I was just as scared as the next person that was there to witness it. Here’s some of the images that I was able to get while right in the thick of things:

You can see more of my pics from the rally on my FLICKR set. Alright, until next time, habashwee!

Breakestra!

Breakestra! I went with a few of my friends to their concert in May over at the Mezzanine in SF.  Man, their beats and sound are amazing. If I ever get back into breakdancing, most definitely I’d be listening to Breakestra for some inspiration. They know how to pump up a crowd. Coming from L.A., they really know how to put on a show. This was one of the coolest live shows I’ve seen. Check out their website www.breakestra.com and give them a listen… Here’s a few pics taken with my s90:

You can check out more at my FLICKR. Until next time, habashwee!

Springfest Concert @ CSUEB!

“TELL ME WHEN TO GO! TELL ME WHEN TO GO!” E-40 was the headliner at the Springfest Concert at Cal State University, East Bay this past May. Other acts included Bobby Brackins, Pharoahe Monch, and the reunion of Bone Thugs n Harmony! It was a great show. The crowd got really into it and their energy vibed off the performers on stage. Before the concert was the Springfest Carnival at the quad in front of the CSUEB Dorms, a.k.a. The Heights. Here’s a few pictures and you can check out more of them HERE:

Hayward Utility Boxes

These utility boxes were located up and down the city of Hayward from West A Street all the way to Second Street up near the back roads to CSUEB. This was one of my first assignments as a photographer for the Pioneer Newspaper (CSUEB’s weekly newspaper). It was funny trying to get these shots because everywhere I went I was stopped by people asking what I was doing and why these utility boxes were painted. One guy even stopped and talked to me about his history with photography and how he knew Ansel Adams (I wasn’t entirely sure if I believed him, he told me Ansel Adams was his Uncle… who knows?)

This project was put together by The City of Hayward Mural Art Program. I think there goal here was to help eliminate graffiti and vandalism in the streets of Hayward. So far they’ve done a beautiful job. There’s more than just utility boxes though. They have wall murals on the sides of buildings as well. These are just a few of the utility boxes I’ve seen. You can find more on my FLICKR page. 

To my Auntie Jessica…

My Auntie Jessica, dad’s sister, was diagnosed with breast cancer last June just a little after her birthday. Since then she’s been going in for treatment and eventually had surgery in November of last year to remove the cancer. Fortunately, the surgery was a success. In January of this year, she started having sharp pains in her stomach. It wasn’t just normal cramping. It was restricting her breathing and disabling her from working. She went back to her doctor to have some tests run on her. The results… the cancer had returned, and this time it spread to her liver. I’m out of practice with medical research and terminology and it’s been a while since I’ve taken any science classes, but I do know that if cancer has spread to your liver… it’s fatal.

For the month of January and February she’s been able to tolerate the pain. She says that it comes and goes. She was transferred over to the medical facility at UCSF for her check-ups/testing/therapy. In the beginning of March, the pain got worst and intolerable. It was harder for her to breath and even harder for her to eat. Her weight was dropping at an unhealthy rate and she was looking more pale everyday. Regular chemo wasn’t working as much as it did before. So the doctors decided to start giving her experimental drugs/chemo.

She’s been traveling back and forth from San Leandro to UCSF with my uncle almost every other day for a while now. On Friday the 19th, after receiving her scheduled chemo, she was rushed to the ER because her blood count was extremely low. I was on my way to Jourdan’s house for a jam session then got a call from my uncle at the hospital telling me to tell my mom that my auntie was rushed to the ER. His voice was shaky and nervous and immediately I knew something wasn’t right. I went back to my house and contacted my mom. Right when she got off work we rushed to the ER.

When I saw my Auntie that night, I couldn’t help but cry. How do you bear to look at someone very close to you and your family on a hospital bed with an I.V. and tubes everywhere, looking so pale and skinny, and trying to hold on to dear life? She’s only 32 years old. She’s so young with plenty of life left to live, but this cancer is taking it all away. At first the doctors told us that she had no more than six months to live. Then a day later it’s no more than three months. And then just recently, they said that they’ve exhausted all of their resources to help her and there wasn’t any more they can do other than help her stay as comfortable as she can be.

My family wanted to bring her to the Philippines so that she can visit her brothers and sisters one last time before she passes but the doctors were against it. She wouldn’t be able to last long outside of the hospital without proper care. Then they tried to get a petition for her family in the Philippines to come to the US, but the process was taking too long. So my dad, along with my grandma, rushed back from the Phillipines (which he just left to go to a few weeks ago) just as soon as he heard about my Auntie’s condition.

For the past few weeks I’ve been going to the hospital with my mom to keep my Auntie and Uncle company. My Uncle hasn’t left her side once. They have two kids, Jason who is 7 and Jerauld who is 2. Jason has been living with us since my Auntie has been stuck at the hospital. Jerauld went with my dad to the Philippines because nobody could watch him here, but he came back the same time my dad and grandma came back. Both Jason and Jearuld haven’t the slightest clue of what’s going on. All Jason knows is that his mom is sick and is resting in a hospital.

The night my dad came back last week, we all went to the hospital. Abigail and I were the last ones to arrive. When we walked into the room it was so emotional. My grandma, whom I haven’t seen in years, couldn’t stop crying. My mom and dad looked like they were in shock. The only loud ones in the room were Jason and Jerauld, yet they still couldn’t comprehend what’s going on. I don’t think anyone wants them to know, at least for now. I feel so fucking bad for my dad and grandma. Within this past year and a half, my dad’s brother died in a fatal car accident. Not very long after, my Grandpa died from a heart attack. Now this situation with my Auntie fighting for her life. Words can’t express how they feel. Since they’ve come back from the Philippines, they’ve been there every night. Until yesterday.

Yesterday was my first day back to school from Spring Break. I just got out of class and was about to grab some lunch then head to work. Right when I got to my car and turned the engine on, I receive a text from Ashley. She said that my Auntie had passed away. I seriously stared at my phone for a long time reading the text over and over again not wanting to believe what I just read. Neither of my parents were picking up their phones when I tried calling them. Ashley got out of school and met me at our house. I picked her up and drove straight to the hospital. Abigail heard the news about the same time and met us there. She waited for us in the waiting room. The elevator ride going up seemed like it took an eternity. I didn’t know how to react or what to do when we would go into the room.

When we got there, it was only Jason, Jerauld, my grandma and my uncle inside. My Auntie’s body was on the hospital bed covered by a plain sheet. My sisters and I walked over towards my Auntie,  then my uncle pulled the sheet down to expose her face. I broke down. I thought I could be strong. Seeing my Auntie lying there lifeless on the hospital bed was the saddest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. Soon after us, friends and family came by her and emotions just got worst every time. My parents had gone back to San Leandro to make arrangements at a mortuary. When they came back, the look on my mom’s face just tore me up. The whole room was crying now, except for Jason and Jerauld. We stayed there until about 4:00 pm and then went back home.

My Auntie Jessica was one the closest family members to me. I was the best man at her wedding in the Philippines. She lived with us for a long time before they bought a house literally 30 seconds away from ours. She had a real big laugh, just like my dad’s and mine. Jason and Jerauld really grew on me, they’re like my little brothers. I know I’m going to play a big role in their lives now.  She was an R.N., smart and educated and had so much going for her. At 32 years old, she was too young to die. Everyone was hoping that she’d make it to her birthday in June, but that isn’t the case anymore. Cancer is a bitch, fuck it to hell.

Prayers and viewing services are being set up then soon after my family and uncle are bringing her body back to the Philippines where she’ll be buried in her hometown.

I apologize for writing so much, but I felt that talking about it like this and putting my feelings down in writing would help. If you’ve read this far, I thank you. Easter Sunday is coming up, please keep her in your prayers if you can. Thank you to those who’ve expressed their condolences. My family is going through rough times right now, and all I can do is just try and be strong about it.

I love you Auntie Jessica. Rest in peace…